Flush tank valve actuating float



March 20, 1956 C. E. TRAMMELL ETAL FLUSH TANK VALVE ACTUATING FLOAT Filed April 17, 195:5

INVENTORS' 776E/1VATTORNEY United States Patent" FLUSH TANK VALVE ACTUATING FLOAT Carl E. Trammell, Gaithersburg, and Edward L. Niner, Silver Spring, Md., assignors, by mesne assignments, of eight per cent to said Trammell, sixty per cent to said Niner, and thirty-two per cent to Eleanor M. Niner, Montgomery County, Md.

Application April 17, 1953, Serial No. 349,470

6 Claims. ,(Cl. 131-417 This invention relates to a flush tank valve actuating float, and has for one of'its objects the production of a simple and eflicient means for instantaneously closing the flush tank when the water in a flush tank reaches a predetermined level.

A further object of this invention-is the production of a simple and eflicient valve controlling means in the nature of an auxiliary float which is so mounted as to prevent the elevation and operation of the valve actuating float until water in the toilet tank reaches a level to elevate the auxiliary float and to thereby release the valve actuating float.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawing: v

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of thevalve actuating means in a locked position;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the parts in a released position; r t

Figure 3 is atop plan view, the valve stem connection being shown'in transverse section;

2,738,800 Patented Mar. 20, 1956 bifurcated link member 26 at its opposite end. The bifurcated link member 26 straddles the arm 23 in closely fitting relation at a distant point from the ear 16, and is pivoted to the arm 23, as at 27. This link member is provided with an upwardly extending portion 28 which straddles the arm 23 at a point near the upstanding car 16. The upwardly extending portion 28 is provided with a backwardly turned upper end 28 to which is pivotally connected depending link 29 by means of a pivot 29. This depending link 29 is in turn pivotally connected at its lower end to the upper end of the upstanding post 20.

When the tank 12 is being filled with fluid, and the stem 14 is in a valve opening position, the pivot point 221 of the link 29 is in a position slightly over and beyond center, or beyond the pivot 30, which is carried by the post 20, as shown in Figure 1, to hold the actuaiing arm 17 in a locked position.

As is shown in Figure 4, the arm 17 passes between the spaced parallel portions 28 and 28 of the upwardly extending portion 28 of the link member 26 and fits snugly therebetween so as to be braced against lateral strain. The downwardly inclined portion 22 of the actuating arm 17 also extends down between the parallel arms 26 and 26 of the bifurcated link member 26 and tits snugly therebetween so as to be braced-against lateral strain. The arm 17 is thereby braced at two spaced points against lateral dislocation or strain thereby holding the arm 17 in proper alignment with the tripping lever 24. The arm 17 and thelever 24, however, have free up and down swinging relative movement when the Figure 4 is an enlarged detail section taken on line Figure 5, is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 55 of Figure 1; t

Figure 6 is a sectional view takenon line 66 of Figure 1.

By referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that 10 designates a conventional valve casing which is carried by the upper end of the pipe 11. A source of liquid under pressure is connected to the pipe 11 in a conventional manner, and the pipe 11 is mounted within the tank 12 in a conventional manner. A discharge pipe 13 of the conventional type depends from the valve casing 10, as is shown in Figures 1 and 2. A valve stem 14 extends upwardly through the casing 10 and this stern carries the conventional type of valve common with such devices. A shield 15 is carried by the upper end of the stem 14 and overhangs the casing 10 to prevent water from the valve from spraying upwardly out of the tank 12.

A rigid upstanding ear 16 is fixed to the casing 10 upon which the valve actuating arm 17 is pivotally mounted as at 18. The arm 17 is provided with a protruding portion 19 which fits through the upper apertured end of the valve stem 14. An upstanding post 20 is carried by the arm 17 in spaced relation to the pivot 18 and upon the opposite side of the car 16 with respect to the protruding portion 19. A valve actuating float or ball 21 is carried by the outer end of the downwardly inclined portion 22 of the actuating arm 17, and is adjustably connected thereto by means of a substantially horizontally extending threaded rod 22.

A rigid arm 23 is fixed to the casing 10 and projects away from the ear 16, the ear 16 and arm 23 being in substantially the same vertical plane. A releasing or tripping lever 24 carries a float 25 at one end and a link 29 is swung to a releasing position upon the post 20.

The float 21 preferably is of .the conventional ball type, and the float 25 also is preferably of the ball type. The ball 25 is adjustably connected for vertical adjustment to the outer end of the tripping lever 24 by means of a substantially vertical stem 25*. The stem 25 may be selectively secured in one of the aligned apertures 24- of the lever 24, to provide for adjustment of the position of the ball 25 longitudinally of the lever 24 when desired. It should be understood that the specific shape of the floats 21 and 25 may be modified within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Resilient bumper discs 31 and 32 are carried by a transverse bolt 33, which bolt 33 is slidably mounted in a longitudinal slot 34 formed in the inclined portion 22 of the arm 17. This structure permits the bumper discs 31 and 32 to be set at a proper point for contact with the under face of the link member 26 of the lever24 to hold the lever 24in a locked position as shown in Figure 1, until the fluid in the tank 12 rises to a point to swing the float 25 and lever 24 to a releasing position.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

As water or fluid rises in the tank 12 above the float 21 to a predetermined depth, the link 29 by being inclined to place the pivot 29- over and in the cradle notch 31 over the top beyond the pivot 30 will lock the arm 17 which carries the float 21 against upward movement, it being noted that the pivot 30 is directly above and in vertical alignment with the pivot 27 and in vertically spaced relation thereto. While this arrangement is preferable, it is not desired to limit the invention at this time to the vertical alignment of the pivots 27 and 30. However, as the water or fluid continues to rise, the float 25 will be lifted, thereby swinging the tripping lever 24 from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2. This produces a tripping action to swing the link 29 in the opposite direction beyond center, in a direction toward the valve casing 10. The buoyance of the float 21 will then cause the float carrying end of the arm 17 to swing upwardly upon the pivot 18 and thereby instantaneously swing the protruding portion 19 downwardly to move the valve stem 14 to a valve closing position and to thereby suddenly cut ofi the water supply. This will avoid the gradual closing of the valve and will provide a positive and efiicient valve closing means, since the .fioat 21 is in a deeply submerged position while locked, and will suddenly rise to move the valve stem 14 to a valve closing position when released, the float 21 still remaining submerged, as is shown in Figure 2.

It should be understood that certain detail changes may be made in the structure illustrated within the spirit of the invention so long as these changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what we claim as new is:

1. A flush tank valve actuating means comprising a casing, a valve actuating stem carried by said casing, a stem actuating arm engaging said stem, a fixed pivot for said arm adjacent said stem, an actuating fioat carried by said arm, a tripping lever, a fixed pivot for said tripping lever adjacent said casing, a second fioat carried by said tripping lever, an upstanding arm carried by said actuating arm, a link pivoted to said upstanding arm, said tripping lever having an upwardly and backwardly extending portion, a pivot carried by said portion and connected to said link, said link being adapted to swing beyond center to one side of said upstanding arm to lock the tripping lever against upward swing, and said link being adapted to swing beyond center to the opposite side of said upstanding arm when fluid in a tank in which said valve actuating means is mounted rises to elevate the float of said tripping lever to automatically release said actuating arm and to thereby instantaneously move said valve actuating stem to a valve closing position.

2. A valve actuating means as defined in claim 1, wherein the fixed pivot of said actuating lever is directly under and in vertical alignment with said upstanding arm and the pivot connecting said link with said arm.

3. A valve actuating means as defined in claim 1, wherein the tripping lever is provided with a bifurcated portion, the upwardly and backwardly extending portion also being bifurcated, and said actuating arm extends through said bifurcated portions at spaced intervals to hold the lever and arm in proper alignment.

4. A valve actuating means as defined in claim 1, with the addition that-said tripping lever and actuating arm extending in cross relation, and a bumper means carried by said actuating arm and adapted to engage the under face of said tripping lever for holding the tripping lever in a locked position until the tripping lever is independently swung to a releasing position.

5. A valve actuating means as defined in claim 1, with the addition that-said tripping lever and actuating arm extending in cross relation, an adjustable roller bumper carried by said actuating arm and adapted to engage the under face of said tripping lever for holding the tripping lever in a locked position until the tripping lever is independently swung to a releasing position.

6. A flush tank valve actuating means comprising a casing, a valve actuating stem carried by said casing, a stem. actuating arm engaging said stem, a fixed pivot for said arm, an actuating float carried by said arm, a tripping lever, a fixed pivot for said tripping lever adjacent said casing, 21 second float carried by said tripping lever, a link pivoted to said actuating arm, said tripping lever having an upwardly extending portion overhanging said actuating arm and pivotally engaging said link, said link being adapted to swing beyond center to one side of the pivot connection with said actuating arm to lock the tripping lever against upward swing, and said link being adapted to swing beyond center to the opposite side of said pivot connection when fiuid in a tank in which said valve actuating means is mounted rises to elevate the float of said tripping lever to automatically release said actuating arm and to thereby instantaneously move said valve actuating stem to a valve closing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,015 Clark Oct. 2, 1900 929,693 McNeill Aug. 3, 1909 1,044,403 Luce et al. Nov. 12, 1912 1,114,169 Menard Oct. 20, 1914 1,115,584 Schmitz Nov. 3, 1914 1,201,233 Armistead Oct. 17, 1916 1,263,699 Pool Apr. 23, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,874 Great Britain of 1897 593,170 Great Britain 2. Oct. 9, 1947 

